The Exploding Girl

When I first sat in the theater to watch Bradley Rust Gray's film, "The Exploding Girl," I had no idea what to expect. Was the movie literally about a girl who explodes, or was it just figurative and symbolic? When I settled in and the movie began, I realized that it was just figurative. The story is about a young epileptic woman, Ivy, who lets her childhood friend Al stay with her and also stresses about the weakening relationship with her boyfriend, Greg. It was a beautiful movie and very well done. Although sometimes predictable--every call to her boyfriend would end in "Hey it's Greg, I'm not here right now. Leave a message"--it was overall a great film. It opened my eyes to what people suffering from epilepsy go through. The part that really got to me was when Ivy called her mom and asked her to be there when she took a bath, but her mom had to regretfully decline due to previous engagements. It's a very difficult life; I can't even imagine it. But even with the sadness of Ivy's epilepsy, the movie still manages to bring happiness by demonstrating the care from Ivy's mother as well as Al. Definitely a must-see movie.

Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench- Damien Chazelle

This was a very interesting film done on Black and White, 16 mm film. It had an old style to it, although the movie was based in the present. I really loved the look the 16 mm gave, but I do not know how well it went with the story. The film was more accessing relationships from an outsider's viewpoint rather then following the story itself. This made it hard for me to follow, but eager to figure out what was going on. It was a musical in two ways. The first is that one of the main characters was a trumpet player, so he played a lot in his band and practicing alone. The second reason why it was a musical is because in random parts of the film people broke out in song. This threw me off guard a little bit when it started, but I throughly enjoyed these scenes. In fact, my favorite scenes were of Madeline breaking out in song in a park in Boston, and in a restaurant in New York. Accompanying the song, and instruments was basic dances, and tap. I have always enjoyed tap dance so this was a pleasant surprise to see in the film. I feel this movie could have been made shorter, but I enjoyed the new outlook on viewing relationships Damien Chazelle presented in his first feature length film.

Alexander The Last

This is a film you can go see from the Independence Days section. I wanted to see it, but unfortunately I had previous engagements.

Go Get Some Rosemary- Josh & Benny Safdie

Go Get Some Rosemary is a film about man living in New York City and his life with his two boys. He has to decide between being his son’s friend or their father. Although this is never fully stated I believe it is the underlying theme. You can see him going back and forth between friend and father through out the movie. The film has a 1970’s vintage style that I loved. The film coloring was a bit yellow; I think this added to the 70’s feel. The shots were wonderful; every scene had an amazing angle and viewpoint. The story line was good, although it did drag a little long at certain parts. Overall a very well made film.

Treeless Mountain - Director So Yong Kim

Treeless Mountain is the story of two young Korean girls, Jin and Bin, and their struggle to find their place. These girls get moved from their mother's place in the city, to their aunt’s house in the suburbs, to their grandparent's farm way out in the countryside. Their time is mostly spent at their Aunt's waiting for their mother to return; they slowly realize she isn't coming back. Through this they learn how fend for themselves, and the importance of sisterhood. I really enjoyed this movie. The story, the filming, and the acting were all excellent. In particular I loved seeing how the girls managed and grew into strong individuals throughout the story.

The Muzzled Horse of an Engineer in Search of Mechanical Saddles

When Mackenzie and I got to the John Cassavetes' Theater it was packed. "The Muzzled Horse of an Engineer in Search of Mechanical Saddles" was clearly a popular event to go to. As we go in with the final rush of volunteers trying to find seat, we were lucky to get some. The theater was completely packed every seat, and every place on the steps was taken. This was a silent film, with captions on the bottom of the screen. The main feature of this film was the live music by The Brockas. The music was supposed to lead us through the events in the film, and make us feel what was going on through sound. Personally it was a bit much for me, the music was quite loud, almost distracting. The film was graphic with images, along with the language used.

Young American Directors

Directors: Ben and Joshua Safdie

Film: Go Get Some Rosemary

Director: So Yong Kim

Movie: Treeless Mountain

Director: Damien Chazelle

Movie: Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench